Jane Fryer for the Daily Mail's recent articles

With his floppy bow tie, bristly whiskers and rather grubby burgundy jumper, 68-year-old Neil Baldwin (left) seems an unlikely national hero, writes JANE FRYER. He keeps 13 budgerigars and canaries in his sitting room in Newcastle-under-Lyme, is deeply religious, was once diagnosed with learning difficulties as a boy, is a qualified clown and wears very thick glasses. But last week, when BBC2 aired a biographical film about him, called Marvellous (centre), it caused an enormous stir. The critics were in raptures and a ‘Give Neil a Knighthood’ Facebook page was launched. In just three days it had nearly 6,000 supporters. While some people might be surprised at all the fuss, Neil (right, in his Stoke City kit) was not.
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Clive and Jane Green, from Abergavenny, are marvelling at all the attention they've received recently — in newspapers, on national radio, an appearance on breakfast TV. When they set off from Milford Haven docks on July 11, 1998, Clive was 46, Jane was 44, Tony Blair was prime minister (and still popular), the Good Friday peace agreement had just been agreed and interest rates were 6.75 per cent.
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Between 1955 and 1977, the exceptionally discreet establishment of Madame Claude (inset) in Paris, was awash with the rich, famous, infamous and well-connected, writes JANE FRYER. Her clients, it now transpires, included not only ambassadors, presidents, dukes, lords and Middle Eastern kings, but also actors Rex Harrison and Marlon Brando, Henry Ford of Ford Motors, banker Elie de Rothschild, Lord Mountbatten, Fiat car boss Gianni Agnelli and John F Kennedy, who used to ask for a girl who looked like Jackie, 'but hot'. Main picture: Klaus Kinski and Francoise Fabian in 1977 movie Madame Claude.
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